Gatepiers and Gates, Ticket office, Boundary Walls and Railings at Beaumaris Castle

Cadw's description

Location

Main gates and ticket office situated at E end of Castle Street; attached wall & railings to the E opposite Courthouse Museum; a solid rubble wall runs N to behind toilet block; short return wall along S perimeter at the David Hughes Community Centre.

History

The main gatepiers and gates first appear on the 1829 town map, which also shows boundary walls along the W and S sides of the castle in the same locations as today. The ticket office was built in 1954 to designs by the Ministry of Works inscribed with the initials "KWB" and the adjoining metal wicket gate, designed "to match existing railings", was added in 1955. A chimney is shown on the architects' drawings in the blank wall where the modern horizontal window now exists.
The 1925 date of guardianship for Beaumaris Castle would be the most likely date for the metal railings on the dwarf walls along the S side of the castle, as the 1954-5 proposals show a different style of design.

Exterior

The two main gatepiers are octagonal coursed blocks of ashlar masonry with plain cappings; pair of Regency-Gothic metal gates to carriage opening with cusped Gothic arches below the top rails and quatrefoil frieze over the dog bars with segmental arched braces. A short section of plain railing with wicket-gate under is attached to each side of the ticket office. Square single-storey classical lodge with pale dressed ashlar quoins, plinth band, window and door surrounds contrasting with darker rubble facings. Pyramidal slate roof with ball finial and oversailing eaves with curved brackets. Outer face has bull's eye window with raised voussoirs to surround and recessed 4-part glazing; simple Venetian-style windoe to driveway and tall arched and keyblocked doorway with traceried fanlight to inner face. Long horizontal modern opening for ticket office faces the pedestrian entrance which has single metal gate and a third octagonal ashlar gatepier to left. This is attached to the rubble boundary wall (approx 2m high) which runs N to meet a short return section of brick-lined wall which divides the screens toilet block from the open grounds at the David Hughes Community Centre. Set into brickwork are several old carved stones, one bearing the date 1867.
Attached to S side of the main gatepier is a curving dwarf wall with dressed cappings which supports early C20 metal railings with sinuous finials flanking the heads of the main uprights in an Art Nouveau manner. Opposite the drawbridge entrance to the outer ward of the castle, there are two simple stone gatepiers with plain double metal gates. This boundary wall with railings ends against the E dock wall (the Gunners Walk) to the right of the main gatehouse into the castle.

Reason for designation

Included for the special historic interest of this prominent set of enclosure walls, gates and railings around this Grade I listed and scheduled monument.